Popular Vikings Defender Wants to Stay in Minnesota Forever
Left up to him, Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus will play his entire career with the purple team.
Popular Vikings Defender Wants to Stay in Minnesota Forever
Source? Him; he tweeted it.
A Michigan Wolverines-themed X account tweeted Metellus’ anniversary of getting added to the Vikings’ active roster four years ago, and Metellus found the post. He retweeted with the caption: “Hope I’m never anywhere else 💜.”
Metellus notably secured a sweet interception last weekend against the San Francisco 49ers, propelling Minnesota over Kyle Shanahan’s team. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as Metellus has busted out into stardom over the last few seasons.
And he might just stick around for the long haul after signing a contract extension last summer. Metellus will also be eligible for another extension, probably when the offseason kicks off in five months. This one could even break the bank.
Vikings leaders began to whisper about Metellus heading into the 2023 season, indicating he could become a keynote contributor. They were right.
In June 2023, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah joined Peter Schrager’s podcast and was asked to name his pick for the club’s unsung hero. Without hesitation, the young executive replied, “Josh Metellus. He’s a safety, and he’ll play some more this year, so I think you’ll see the stuff that we’ve seen. He was a special teams stalwart last year, team-captain type. I was in the team meeting room later in the season after [Brian O’Neill] got hurt, [Metellus] was given team captain.”
“You can feel when somebody’s teammates really love them, really appreciate them and really want to follow them into battle, and he’s one of those guys. He’s everything that the Minnesota Vikings are about, and I think people are really going to appreciate that more this season,” Adofo-Mensah said 15 months ago.
Meanwhile, CBS Sports published an article two weeks ago detailing three players who could be next in line for “massive extensions” after Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II secured a four-year, $96 million contract. Per Cody Benjamin, Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus made the cut.
“The former sixth-round pick isn’t necessarily on the national radar, but Vikings fans know this man as the Swiss Army knife of Minnesota’s defense,” Benjamin wrote about Metellus earlier this month.
Benjamin added, “Forever shifting between roles on the back end, be it safety or nickel corner or even linebacker, Metellus was always around the ball (116 tackles, 2.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, five pass breakups) for Brian Flores in 2023, and Harrison Smith won’t be around forever.”
A former 6th-Round draft pick, Metellus emerged into a bonafide starter last season, logging 116 total tackles, 10 QB hits, 7 tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles, 2.5 sacks, an interception, and a 69.2 Pro Football Focus grade. The 26-year-old was also a Pro Bowl alternate and was oh-so-close to his first such nod.
Metellus has logged 11 tackles, 2 passes defended, 1 QB hit, the aforementioned interception, and a 47.4 passer-rating-against so far this season en route to a stellar 78.2 Pro Football Focus grade.
And he doesn’t want to leave. Like ever.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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